|
Logical Framework
Ecosystem services provide powerful natural regulation functions:
- forests that capture carbon and cool microclimates;
- living soils that store water and limit drought;
- wetlands that regulate floods and stabilize temperatures;
- oceans and mangroves that temper coastal climates;
- biodiversity that supports agriculture and food security.
In contrast, geoengineering technologies (cloud seeding, stratospheric aerosols, space mirrors...) pose major risks of governance, security, inequality between countries, and potentially irreversible side effects.
The proposal of the Geneva Forum: to invest in research, participatory science, and international cooperation to multiply bio-inspired solutions that already exist and can be scaled up.
Examples of Applied Participatory Science
Soils & Water
Activity: compare two plots (drained vs infiltration). Measure soil temperature, humidity, biodiversity.
Result: immediate proof that “slowing water” helps combat local warming.
Small Water Retention Areas
Activity: dig ponds or swales, measure drying speed.
Result: moisture retention and increased resilience to heat waves.
Agroforestry
Activity: plant local vs introduced species, measure growth and microclimate.
Result: demonstrate the cooling effect and water regulation of trees.
Wetlands
Activity: compare temperature and biodiversity between a restored wetland and a drained ditch.
Result: restoration = cooler air + higher biodiversity.
Mangroves & Coastlines
Activity: measure water/air temperature with sensors in mangroves vs degraded zones.
Result: better thermal regulation, stronger protection against storms.
Low-Tech Solar Energy
Activity: compare two solar cookers (simple black box vs parabola).
Result: clear demonstration that low-tech solutions can reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
Light Pollution
Activity: measure star visibility in lit vs protected zones.
Result: immediate proof that “dark corridors” reduce energy impact and protect nocturnal ecosystems.
Each experiment is simple, reproducible, and provides a visible result within days. These projects feed into a collective scientific database and allow everyone — citizens, researchers, decision-makers — to experience the impact of nature-based solutions.
The Program
The Geneva Forum invites you to propose your solutions in this field. During the sessions:
- Present your ideas in a 5-minute pitch.
- Participate in a collaborative workshop with high-level decision-makers.
- Confront your hypotheses with experts (scientific, financial, political).
- Test your proposals through participatory science programs.
- Co-build the conditions for scaling up.
Examples of expected topics:
- Innovations for restoring regulating ecosystems (forests, wetlands, oceans).
- Participatory methods to measure climate effects.
- Viable economic models to finance natural regulation (payment for ecosystem services, blended finance, seed philanthropy).
- Credible and safe alternatives to geoengineering technologies.
- Pilot projects that can be replicated across continents.
Key Challenges
- Climatic: reduce heat, stabilize water cycles, limit disasters.
- Social: engage citizens and give participatory science a central role.
- Economic: create profitable models centered on nature-based solutions.
- Political: offer decision-makers credible alternatives to geoengineering.
Suggest Your Solution!
If you wish to propose a solution to the world in this field:
1. Choose the international conference within the Geneva Forum where you wish to present your idea (see the list of conferences here).
2. Fill out the form further down this page to submit your abstract. Indicate “Yes” in the question Is your presentation a proposal for a disruptive technology?
3. Come to the next Geneva Forum, present your idea, and co-create during the collaborative workshop that follows.
On site, our team will connect you with:
- existing participatory research programs,
- financial or scientific partners,
- and, if necessary, support you in developing a new impact project with a viable business model.
Climate regulation will not come from a giant “technological button” placed above our heads. It will come from collective mobilization around natural solutions, rooted in territories and amplified by participatory science.
The Geneva Forum is the place where these solutions come to life, find partners, funding, and a framework to scale up.
Come with your ideas. Leave with a project. Together, let’s build a sustainable alternative to geoengineering.
Contribution Form
|